TravelPat1

Toronto FC are expected to challenge again for the MLS championship as all three MLSE teams are pretty good now after years of failure.

I do have to give a massive tip of the cap to TFC fans. As somebody who was a cold, drowned rat by the time I got home from work Friday evening with winds, rain and 2C temperatures and windchills below 0C - I was surprised how many people actually showed up at BMO Field in that weather. The south end was packed the entire game even though the high roof at that end provided those faans almost no cover from the frigid rain.

Plus cool that their fans are so passionate they create things like the giant Tifo they unfurled at the start of the game.

Will the Argos be able to build a fan base that will show up in similar decent numbers at their games?

TravelPat1

I have to admit - on a night that has pretty much every Southern Ontario sports fan living and dying with the Leafs, the Jays on TV at the same time - and TFC playing against an expansion MLS team - Atlanta - it is a pretty good crowd at BMO tonight.

I really expected a close to half empty stadium - yet when I flipped over between periods - the stadium is really much fuller than I expected. 26,812 the announced crowd and not far fom that number apparently there tonight.

KevinRiley2

I have to admit - on a night that has pretty much every Southern Ontario sports fan living and dying with the Leafs, the Jays on TV at the same time - and TFC playing against an expansion MLS team - Atlanta - it is a pretty good crowd at BMO tonight.

I really expected a close to half empty stadium - yet when I flipped over between periods - the stadium is really much fuller than I expected. 26,812 the announced crowd and not far fom that number apparently there tonight.

But ANOTHER tie for TFC.

I guess we see what we want to see because it looked (more than) half empty to me and I watched the entire 2nd half. I was pleasantly surprised with all the empty seats.

TravelPat1

An expansion team that has only lost one of their first five games. 2-2-1 through five games. Moving into their $1.5 billion dollar stadium they share with the Falcons soon.

And big news Monday - I'll start a separate thread on this - CONCACAF is submitting a joint Canada/USA/Mexico World Cup bid for 2026. Does that mean big money for a big NFL stadium in Toronto if that bid wins?

KevinRiley2

An expansion team that has only lost one of their first five games. 2-2-1 through five games. Moving into their $1.5 billion dollar stadium they share with the Falcons soon.

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

That has nothing to do with the TFC drawing an expansion team.

Quote from: "TravelPat1"

And big news Monday - I'll start a separate thread on this - CONCACAF is submitting a joint Canada/USA/Mexico World Cup bid for 2026. Does that mean big money for a big NFL stadium in Toronto if that bid wins?

I hate to disappoint but there's no money for a new stadium. City, province and feds are broke - especially Ontario and you can thank your buddies McGuinty and Wynne for that. Especially, no billion dollars for a THIRD of a World Cup bid.

Canada would revolt...

Hey! No money for the poor, meds and medical service, but to host a handful of soccer games, let's spend a $1B (by then it will be close to $2B) for a stadium. Um... no! :roll:

As people with a social conscience, we should be above this. Anyone who supports it, should be ashamed of themselves.

TravelPat1

My pictures are shots with my phone off my TV screen where I took shots from one of the few times where almost the entire east or west side were shown all at once because that seemed to be the most logical way to make my point.

Even though a bit fuzzy they are abundantly clear enough to show that WAY more than half the seats were occupied.

I do have the game PVR'd so I can post A TON of section by section pictures showing WAY MORE than half the seats in each section occupied in every single east and south section that the cameras hit during the game if you insist Kevin. Here a sample for you - and I'm intentionally picking shots that do not include the south end where there were ZERO empty seats in the supporters sections.

As for the World Cup the federal government has made it abundantly clear it will only contribute to pro sports facilities for major intenrational sports events- as they did with the initial building of BMO Field for the Under 20 World Cup and the contributions they made to facilities for te Pan Am games including Tim Hortons Field.

A few top level World Cup games in Canada would generate hundreds of millions in tourism impact for the two ot three Canadian cities that might be used in a 3 country bid. Calgary may be able to use that to help fund a new soccer/CFL stadium - and because soccer stadiums basically have the same dimensions as an NFL stadium - you have to know there are big moneyed people in TO who would latch on to that kind of opportunity. :